Sauron’s got a brand new face, but the dark lord of Middle-earth is about to bust out his oldest trick. In what is shaping up to be an action-packed second season, Sauron’s latest secret identity as Annatar is on full display in a shocking new trailer for Rings of Power Season 2.

But, as previously revealed by the showrunners and Sauron/Annatar actor Charlie Vickers, Rings of Power is throwing the mystery box element of Season 1 into the fire, and instead getting right to the crux of how Sauron deceived the elves, specifically Celebrimbor, into creating the rings, which will lead to everyone being ruled by the One Ring. In short, the new Rings of Power trailer puts hardcore Tolkien canon back on the menu.

Rings of Power Season 2 Sauron trailer

While the newest Rings of Power trailer packs in a lot of action, the focus this time is clearly on Sauron in his Elf guise as Annatar, and how, specifically he’s able to convince Celebrimbor — and nearly everyone else — that using the various magical rings is a good idea. Back in Season 1, Sauron’s whereabouts were a mystery hiding-in-plain-sight, but in Season 2, we all know he’s right there, pretending to be a kind Elf named Annatar, making the idea of his deception an open secret. As the trailer suggests, Elrond and Galadriel have a clear sense that the rings are problematic, and in the final scene of the trailer, Sauron is straight up fighting Galadriel, using his creepy three-pronged crown as a kind of sword.

For fans of Season 1, and Tolkien fans everywhere, it’s all pretty good stuff, and the way that Sauron says Galadriel’s name is chill-inducing. But, the most interesting thing here is how Season 2 is dead-set on explaining how Sauron’s big deception actually worked.

The ultimate Lord of the Rings backstory

Charlie Vickers as Sauron in his Annatar guise.

Prime Video

Because Rings of Power is essentially a complex prequel to both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the events are centered on the Second Age of Middle-earth, specifically (and maybe somewhat obviously) the forging of the titular Rings of Power. But, while Season 1 seemed to side-step the detail from The Silmarillion of how Sauron appeared in the guise of Annatar and tricked the Elves, Season 2 is pivoting back to embracing this very specific idea.

In a sense, the latest trailer for Rings of Power Season 2 feels like what a lot of us assumed Season 1 would be like. Crucially, we see Celebrimbor visibly cursed with a grotesque face, indicating the power of at least one ring is corrupting and destroying him. Does this mean Rings of Power will show us the One Ring as well as the other rings?

Because Sauron is openly showing his wicked crown in this trailer, it’s tempting to think of Rings of Power Season 2 as a direct adaptation of aspects of The Silmarillion, which was published forty-seven years ago, in 1977. That is not the case. Although that compendium book has chapters about “The Rings of Power,” the series very much isn’t an adaption of The Silmarillion. Even if you’ve never read a Tolkien book, you know from the Peter Jackson films that Sauron deceived everyone into thinking the various rings had individual powers. But the One Ring can “rule them all,” a detail which while very legendary, might not make a lot of logistical sense when you think about it.

It’s in this contradiction — why did Sauron need the other rings if he could make the One Ring? — that The Rings of Power Season 2 holds so much promise. The dire need of the Elves, the Dwarves, and the Men to each save their own communities is clearly what tempts them all to accept the rings. And in doing so, we’ll get to see how Sauron justified putting back on that crown.